Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-10-30
EUROPEAN SITUATION.
\ Theory that Gen. Bou-
langer Acted on.
rs GERMANY NOT READY:
Mia's'er Rouvier in State OF
Anxiety-COnditiOn of the
French Army.
rs GERMANY NOT READY?

cident will have been settled long
before any letter on the matter can
reach America, all that is necessary
to. say about it is that the French
press in general was remarkably tenn
perate and throughout seconded the
Government efforts to reassure the
public. And yet the feeling produced
is one of profound encouragement,
an with this the conviction that in
dividual reprisals are to be appre-
hended from the exasperated border
ers. The shooting down on
French territory OF inohensive
sportsmen by German SOL
der on German territory-and this
fact cannot be questioned-is high
handed measure in itself, but all the
more alarming that it is symptom OF
the tendency which prescribes the in
structions given to the frontier guards,
and indicates, or is interpreted to in
dicate, deliberate intention to create
some other incident where less easily
than in this case responsibilities can
be defined. And in this view very
nearly all the Continental political
men agree, and estimating that the
tension of the political situation is be-
coming so strong as-here l quote
textually the opinion at Vienna
France and Germany have very
nearly reached the extreme limits OF
simple courtesy, and Il catastrophe de-
pends upon the merest accident, how
ever, in appearance, insignificant"
But French governmental anxiety is
not only aroused by the possible con-
sequence of any fresh incidents. The
portfolios of MN. Rouvier and COM
pany are at stake, for the hapless
Ministerial camelfhas already an i'm
mense load to carry and there may be
some interpretations made in connec-
ton with it, attitude in this affair
which will crush the quadruped en-
tirely. If it had not been for that
fear, believe me, the whole thing
| would have been thrown into the
waste paper basket, after the des-
patch of a civil, but submissive, diplo-
matte note to Berlin, begging the
| Germans not to be SO precipitate the
| next time, and there it would have
ended. But NJ. Rouvier is horribly
exercised in spirit over this untoward
event, and does not clearly see his way
out of the difficulties which he knows
must result in fastening his downfall
as Premier, and in bringing back to
office the man whom all of Bismarck s
hirelings, native as we'll as foreign, re-
vile and spit upon, because they are
afrdid Of him. Boulanger may have nc
military ability whatever, but nothing
in his record proves incapacity. Bis
lnarck rarely attacks windmills, and
his reptiles" would scarcely have
been SO venomous if their berth haC
been reckoned by their employer tC
be a purely negligeable quantity
, During our war Confederates always
expressed the highest opinion of Gen
eral Mcclellan, who was general,
beaten by them, but they were silen
about Grant and Sherman. 1t will bt
more just to pronounce Boulanger ;
TOY soldier after he has failed t.
handle masses in the field than t.
condemn him before trial.
The fact is that the late Minister o
War, knowing that the Germans are
not nearly SO ready as they wish it t.
appear, declined to be bullied. The
Germans are not It all disposed t.
fight just now, spite of the swagger
Their infantry armament is neither
complete nor homogeneous, and theil
new repeating rife not having an
swered great expectations, they viii
sladly put off the evil day until they
can find better model. But bluff
has generally succeeded against the
French Government, and, as Fer
ron ID willing to bear anything
rather than leave j. the Rut
Saint y, Dominique, that game ha'
again been played successfully. Say
the Gozefs, Of Moscow ':If the
trench are ready, Germany is only
preparing" and that will explain he
so called forbearance and the spontan
eousness OF her offer to pay the prict
OF blood. But, are the French ready
doubt it, Notwithstanding the regu
lar and rapid mobilization Of the Sew
enteenth Corps. Nothing done q
Toulouse proves that, having mobil
lied rapidly, they'can concentrate OF
the frontier rapidly, or oppose
an effective dixie to the invasion O
the German masses, which can con
centrAte rapidly. Certainly, there is
a fine Corps d'Armee in the neighbor.
hood, and General Lardeur's division
at Luneville, is composed of excellent
and well disciplined troops, while the
| ,t
| Mousson, two and a half miles from
the frontier. will doubtless behave
gallantly; yet numbers tell, and your
readers can draw their own conclu
sions as to chances when l shall have
shown them how the forces of France
are situated in that region.
Il Gen. Lardeur's division OF indie
pendent cavalry--that is, of cavalry
not attached to any particular army
corps-is composed of Gen. de
Negroni's Cuirassier Brigade and OF q
brigade of dragons under Gen. Braun
with the Fifth and Tenth Hussars
commanded by Gen. de Vaugenant
with these are three horse artillery
batteries, furnished by the regiments
at Rennes, Orleans, and Chalons
the second Battalion Of Chasseurs
apied Qight infantry, and fouI
battAlions of Vosgian Ohas-eurs al
Rumbervillers, Saint Nicholas, Saint
Die, and Remiumont. Among these
troops which form the first line OF
the Fifth Huss,irs is left entirely with
out any infantry supports, and is an
extremely perilous position, which
our Rhadamanthus at the war Office
does not appear to appreciate. 1t is
true. that across the frontier the Ger
man cavalry is broken up into more
fractions than the French cavalry,
but on the other hand, every petty
locality over the border has been
constitut ID into amilitary post, SO that
heinp in closer proximitY TO their in